This crowdfunding campaign wants to put a $2,000 replica Iron Man suit into mass production

Fueled by the blockbuster Marvel movies starring Robert Downey Jr., it seems that everyone these days wants to build, pilot and own a working Iron Man suit. While that’s probably still a way off – the US military has commissioned a Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit that sounds awfully similar, mind you – we now have a decent alternative.

A new crowdfunding campaign launched today is looking for at least 50 pre-orders, to the tune of $1,999 each, to build a replica of the Iron Man Mark III suit. It’s essentially a 3D-printed fancy dress outfit, but it does come with a few neat features: the joints are made from metal, the faceplate slides away and there’s an LED system so you can pretend to battle the forces of darkness.

After they hit the necessary number of pre-orders, the ‘Iron Man Factory’ creators say it should take between six to eight months before the first batch of suits are shipped out to backers. Tony Stark, eat your heart out.

Nick Summers is a technology journalist for The Next Web. He writes on all sorts of topics, although he has a passion for gadgets, apps and video games in particular. You can reach him on Twitter, circle him on Google+ and connect with him on LinkedIn.